


New Beginning

by spikewriter



Series: A Symphony of Ten [24]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-24
Updated: 2014-12-24
Packaged: 2018-03-02 20:50:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2825714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spikewriter/pseuds/spikewriter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's still an adventure.</p>
            </blockquote>





	New Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written for Day Twenty-Four of my 2009 Advent Calendar on LiveJournal. This is the final piece of these series, and it's been a pleasure and a joy to share these all with you. 
> 
> No matter how you celebrate, may your days be bright with light and love.

"Oh, Rose never decorates," Jackie said as the tree was hauled into place by the delivery men. Rising two stories, it dominated a full quarter of the main room in the Tyler Manse, which was already partially festooned with garlands and wreaths. "I try to convince her to do something, but she just shrugs and says she doesn't have that much to celebrate. I've offered to get her a tree, but she says no."

Jackie gave Doctor a sideways glance, one of those ones that said she might sound like she was offering advice but was really issuing orders. "Maybe you can convince her to be a bit more festive this year."

No sense in letting her know his Christmases had generally not been high on the jolly and merry scale; Sycorax, regeneration sickness, Racnoss, sabotaged space-faring cruise liners -- no, it wasn't the stuff of family holiday specials. But this was clearly a special time for Jackie and she wanted what she always wanted, for her daughter to be happy. It was why she'd held her tongue -- mostly -- as Rose went racing off about the galaxy with him. Now that Rose was bound to this planet, it was only natural Jackie would want to recapture what she saw as beloved family rituals, even if she could now hire a team to help with some of the extra bits.

So he promised he'd do his best and tried to figure out how he could broach the subject with Rose. "Sorry I couldn't make it over for the grand delivery," she said when she arrived back at their flat from some expedition Torchwood had sent her on. "Work and all that."

"Understandable," he assured her, patting the couch next to him. She snuggled in close, humming appreciatively as she drew her feet up onto the cushions. In some ways it was the perfect moment to ask her, but he didn't really want to break the spell. Instead, he opted for, "Jackie really goes all out for Christmas, doesn't she?"

"Always has. Every year, no matter how tight things were, she always made sure we had decorations and presents under the tree. 'Christmas isn't Christmas without the tinsel,' she always used to say. Now, she has a pretty much unlimited budget and she just goes nuts. Drives me crazy, but Pete loves it; they have the reputation for having the best Christmas parties in town."

"And you show up and do the dutiful daughter appearance."

"Well, this year I'll have company because don't think you're getting out of this, mister. If I have to go, you do too."

He didn't argue; Jackie had already made that quite clear to him earlier that day. "It was kind of fun helping her decorate. All those ornaments -- though I think she misses the old stuff you used to have."

"She's not the only one." Rose sighed. "I just took it for granted that they'd always be there, all the stuff I'd made in school, the things Mum had from her mum, the ornaments she and Dad bought their first Christmas together. There's something that doesn't feel like Christmas without it."

"Is that why you don't get a tree?" he asked, figuring this was as good an opportunity as any.

"That and I don't want to -- wait a minute. She wants you to get me to decorate, doesn't she?"

"She did mention something." The Doctor had the sudden sinking feeling that he needed to tread carefully. "I think she's worried you're not having a good time."

"Why? Because I've been miserable every Christmas I've been here because I saw the trees and heard Christmas music and all I could think of was when you walked into the flat the first time, in the brown suit, I mean. I looked at Christmas and saw everything I lost."

She was burrowing in closer, but he heard the pain in her voice and his body tensed. "And this year?" He didn't want to think she was still mourning the poncy bastard, but there were still moments when he knew she remembered

"I don't know. I just...I haven't really celebrated in so long. I don't know if I want to go to the fuss of decorating the flat; we've got Mum's party and we'll be over there on the day, so I wonder if there's any reason."

The words hurt and he decided he'd rather risk the wrath of Jackie than push any more. If Rose didn't find anything to celebrate at Christmas, then he wasn't going to force her into it, especially if the day reminded her of _him._ There were some things he'd rather let lie. Besides, him and Christmas? Bad combination and it wasn't a Gallifreyan holiday. "So, dinner. Chinese or pizza?"

She looked up at him with a strange look, as if she knew there was something he wasn't telling her. Then she said, "Pizza. We did Chinese last night."

Jackie did ask, but the Doctor firmly told her it was Rose's choice and he was going to live with that. If Rose wanted to celebrate, she'd do it in her own time and her own way. That was all part of what they were both dealing with, finding their way. Still, as the staff at Vitex started to grow more excited as Christmas grew near, he found himself wishing Rose felt she had something to celebrate. Didn't help that there were presents to buy, gifts he'd been informed he had to give, small token of appreciation for the staff, gifts for Pete and Jackie to exchange on the day itself. Tony was a joy to buy for, giving him an excuse to investigate the new radio-controlled toys available on the market. Gifts for Rose, naturally, but all of it left him with a bit of a hollow feeling.

Returning to the flat after work four days before Christmas, he was surprised to be greeted by the soft glow of lights and the unmistakeable scent of an evergreen as he stepped through the door. In one corner of the living room was a tree, nowhere near as grand as the one in the Tyler manse, but just a right fit for two. Rose stood next to it, twisting a strand of tinsel in her hand. "I, ah, got to thinking about what you said last week. No, I didn't have a lot to celebrate when I first got here, but I do now. Don't worry, though; I am not going as crazy as Mum. That's her tradition."

He wasn't sure what to say. White lights, silver tinsel, the effect was much more restrained than anything Jackie had put together. "There aren't any ornaments," he noted.

"Well, I thought that since it's our first Christmas together -- you and I, here -- that maybe we'd start with just one."

Tossing the end of the tinsel casually onto the tree, she moved to the coffee table and reached into a box lined with tissue, lifting out a silver star. "Can you put it on top? I don't think I'm tall enough."

She looked a bit hopeful as she held it out to him. _Pick a star_ , he'd told her that first Christmas night as they stood outside the Powell Estate. He'd wanted to give them all to her, but none were more precious than this. With a grin, he took the ornament from her and stretched up to place it carefully on the top of the tree. Stepping back, he considered the effect. "I think it's slightly crooked."

"S'okay." Rose moved next to him and slid her arm his waist. "I think it's perfect."

This was the part he loved, no matter how old he got. It was silly; he'd traveled to so many planets, seen so many wonders and yet...

If the truth was told, there would always be new wonders and new horizons to see. Their first Christmas together was just the beginning.

Really, the first time always was the best.


End file.
